Four people — three adults and a teenager — were taken to hospital Monday night after displaying symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
First responders arrived at a home on Bridlewood Avenue in Calgary’s southwest around 8 p.m.
One person is said to have been in critical condition, and multiple reports indicate they could have been taken to Edmonton for specialized treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.
“Three adults and one teen inside the home, one is in critical condition, severely affected, one seriously affected, and two were treated on scene before being transported,” said Calgary fire Battalion Chief Alistair Robin.
This startling situation is thought to have stemmed from a vehicle left running in the home’s garage.
“It was off when crews got there, they’re assuming that just due to the amount of carbon monoxide in the garage, it choked itself out. So there wasn’t enough fresh air for the engine to continue running,” Robin explained. “The vehicle was very hot, so it’d been running for quite some time.
“So, fire crews began to ventilate the building — they found the highest ratings in the garage at 2,000 parts per million (ppm) — which is a very high reading,” he said.
Eight months ago, a father and daughter were killed by carbon monoxide after a vehicle was left idling in their garage in Calgary’s southeast.
That same month, an entire apartment building in the northwest had to be evacuated after a blocked vent was believed to have cause a build up of the toxic gas.
Incidents like this have Robin stressing the importance of working carbon monoxide detectors, and making sure one’s vehicle is in fact turned off, upon arriving home.